BRUSSELS, Belgium: European lawmakers cleared the way on Thursday for tougher penalties for irregular migrants and their potential deportation to so-called “return hubs” outside the bloc.
The measures, criticised by human rights groups, are part of a tightening of Europe´s immigration rules in response to pressure across the 27-nation bloc to curb migration.
The European Parliament approved the package with support from centre-right and far-right groups in a 389 to 206 vote in Brussels -- bringing it a step closer to final approval.
Italy´s far-right leader Giorgia Meloni hailed the vote as an “important step towards making repatriations more effective, strengthening border control, and finally giving Europe a more credible migration policy”.
The reform would notably allow for the opening of centres or “return hubs” outside the EU´s borders to which migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected would be sent.
